News

The Orthodox Christian Association of Medicine, Psychology, and Religion is honored that Fr. Stavros Kofinas, D.Min., will give the Keynote Address on Thursday evening, November 5, at its Annual Conference on November 5–7, 2015, followed by a wine and cheese reception.

Father Stavros is the Coordinator of the Network of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for Pastoral Health Care, and also serves as the celebrant at the Holy Monastery of St. Meletios of Kitherona in Greece.

The theme of the Conference is "Caregivers as Confessors and Healers" and will be held at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA, through November 7. The title of Fr. Stavros' talk is "Holy Confession and the Freedom to Be." He will also give a presentation describing the Patriarchal Program on Health Care during a special dinner on Friday, November 6.

On the weekend of August 22-23, 2015, our little parish of St. Ignatius of Antioch Orthodox Church in Twin Falls, Idaho was graced with the presence of His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph. Our father and chief shepherd celebrated the baptism of our newest member, Maximus Joseph Habib, new infant son of Fr. Michael and Kh. Masha Habib.

On Saturday, August 22, the church was overflowing with more than 90 people when the metropolitan arrived. Parish members joyfully rang the bells and the choir sang, "Blessed is he who cometh in the Name of the Lord" and "Eis polla eti, Destpota," as they and all those present welcomed Sayidna for the first time as the Metropolitan of the Antiochian Archdiocese. Although crammed into our little church, there was great excitement among the faithful as we witnessed the sacraments of Baptism, Chrismation and Eucharist being bestowed upon little Maximus Joseph by our Metropolitan.

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America has released a new study today, "Exploring Orthodox Generosity: Giving in US Orthodox Parishes." The 138-page report is accompanied by a brief summary that shares the highlights of the study. The study was prepared by the Assembly's research coordinator, Alexei Krindatch.

The study addresses religious giving of Orthodox Church members to their home parishes and to wider religious causes and explores the differences in giving between members of various Orthodox jurisdictions and parishioners according to certain demographics. Based on its findings, the study provides suggestions as to how Orthodox parishes might increase the generosity of parishioners.

More than 2,800 Orthodox Church members (lay parishioners) representing all Orthodox jurisdictions participated in this unique study.

July, 2015: Metropolitan Joseph, Patriarch John X, and The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield at St. Vladimir's SeminaryOn September 14, 2015, the Board of Trustees and Faculty of St. Vladimir's Seminary will bestow a Doctor of Divinity degree, honoris causa, on His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph, at an Academic Convocation beginning at 7 p.m. St. Vladimir's will also award an honorary degree to His Beatitude the Most Blessed Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). Metropolitan Tikhon serves as President of the Seminary and Chair of its Board of Trustees, and Metropolitan Joseph serves as Vice Chair of the Board. The event is open to the public and will be held in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium of the John G. Rangos Family Building.

While we were all at Divine Liturgy this morning Archdeacon Basil Rives, 94, of Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, Santa Fe, NM, the eldest clergyman of our Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America, fell asleep in Christ. May he be granted Paradise! Archdeacon Basil, born May 23, 1921, was preceded in death by his wife Shamassy Mary Anne, and is survived by four sons and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The first Trisagion Prayers of Mercy were prayed for Archdeacon Basil by Fr. John Bethancourt and the congregation of Holy Trinity following this morning's Divine Liturgy. Condolences may be sent to the Rives Family c/o Father John Bethancourt at FrJohnB@aol.com.

The Patriarchal Divine Liturgy from the July Convention in Boston will be broadcast on Lebanese television station NOURSAT at midnightWednesday, September 9 (between Tuesday and Wednesday evening) Eastern time. It will air a second time on Wednesday evening at 6:00pm Eastern time.

The Hierarchical Divine Liturgy with His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph during his upcoming visit to St. Elias Cathedral in Ottawa, will be broadcast live from 9:45am to 12:30pm on Sunday, September 13th.

To enjoy these broadcasts, please visit www.noursat.tv at the scheduled times.

"Saving Syria's Children," a new video from the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), recounts how civil war has robbed more than five million Syrian children of their innocence, homes, safety, and education. IOCC is responding with relief to Syria's displaced children and families and those living as refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Armenia, Greece, and Serbia.

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America will hold its sixth annual meeting September 15-17, 2015 at the Hilton Chicago O'Hare Airport Hotel.

This year's meeting will include two sessions devoted to canonical regional planning. In the first of these sessions, the Assembly's 12 jurisdictional first hierarchs will have an opportunity to offer their comments on a proposal that has been prepared by the Committee for Canonical Regional Planning for submission to the Great and Holy Council in 2016. In the second session, the Assembly's hierarchs will engage in a facilitated discussion about the proposal. This year's meeting also includes a working session on pastoral practices of marriage and divorce.

On Tuesday evening, September 15, the Assembly will sponsor a pan-Orthodox youth gathering for high school and college students in the Chicago area. The event will provide an opportunity for dialogue between the youth and a panel of hierarchs. The hierarchs of the Assembly request the prayers of all clergy, monastics, and laity for a spiritually fruitful meeting.

Metropolitan Joseph installs new officers (R to L): His Grace Bishop John (Spiritual Advisor), Dianne O’Regan, Kh. Suzanne Murphy, Fadia Juzdan, and Melinda Bentz. (Missing: Sheryl VanderWagen)The following officers of the North American Board (NAB) of the Antiochian Women were elected for the 2015-2017 term at the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese Convention in Boston:

Memory Eternal! Archpriest Louis Mahshie, longtime proistamenos at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Akron, OH, reposed early this morning, August 27, 2015. Funeral arrangements are pending at this time. Father Louis is survived by his wife Khouria Corinne and their children and grandchildren. Condolences may be sent to mail@stgeorgeakron.com.

FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS

Funeral arrangements are as follows:

His Grace Bishop Anthony will preside at all services, which will take place at St. George Orthodox Church, 3204 Ridgewood Road, Akron, OH 44333, or call (330) 666-7116.

Monday, August 31stVisitation 3-8pmFuneral for Clergy at 7pm

Tuesday, September 1stVisitation 9-10amDivine Liturgy followed by the Funeral Service 10amA Meal of Mercy follows (a private, family interment takes place after the meal)

Overnight accommodations can be made at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn; call 330-867-5000.For more information or questions, please contact assistant Pastor Fr. John Al-Assaf, yohanna-1965@hotmail.com.

Nicholas Hamaty served the church his entire life. However it was in 1954 that he undertook his first major task when he, along with several others, organized the St. George Choir. The choir was the stepping stone in building the SOYO organization of Washington, D.C., which elected Nick to be its first and second president. Nick was also elected as President of the Eastern Region SOYO during his second term as President of D.C. SOYO. He held this office for two terms, and for his faithful service His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony Bashir of thrice blessed memory awarded him the highest honor presented by the Archdiocese to a layman at that time, the Certificate of Meritorious Service.

Nick went on to be elected to NAC SOYO as an Eastern Region Delegate. In 1958 and 1959 he was elected to the offices of Treasurer and Vice President of NAC respectively. He continued to be active at St. George Church his entire life, serving on the parish council for many years and being active in all areas which supported the health and promotion of the Orthodox Church. In 2005 he was appointed by the parish council as a Life Member with voting rights, the only one to hold this position in the entire 107 years history of St. George of Washington, D.C.

One of the greatest rewards of Nick's work in the Church was meeting Joyce Farrah. In 1957, Nick and Joyce were married . He was a beloved husband for 58 years, as well as father, grandfather and uncle. His family, friends and his church were his life. He was loved by all who met him and he will be greatly missed. "Well done, thy good and faithful servant."

Mother Christophora, speaking at a previous Clergy Wives RetreatThe 2015 Clergy Wives Weekend will take place October 23-25, 2015 at Antiochian Village. This pan-Orthodox gathering was established in memory of Kh. Joanne Abdalah, who was concerned about the well-being of women married to clergy. A balanced life was how she envisioned the best way to live in God's grace through all that life brings to clergy wives and their families. In that spirit, the Weekend seeks to provide time for fellowship, time for prayer, time for leaning, and time to just relax.

We are very happy to be welcoming back this year's speaker: Mother Christophora, the Abbess of the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration in Ellwood City, PA.

Scholarship winner Justine Younes, SOYO President of the Diocese of Ottawa, Eastern Canada and Upstate New YorkOn behalf of Metropolitan Joseph, SOYO, and the Department of Youth & Parish Ministries, The Very Rev. Dr. Joseph Purpura announces the winners of the 2015 Francis Maria Scholarship recipients.

Each of the following people were awarded a scholarship in the amount of $2,500, on July 25, 2015 at the Archdiocese Convention in Boston. Congratulations!

Resources are listed for students from preschool ages all the way through high school. There are also supplementary materials, resources for youth work, adult education study texts, catechism materials, and a selection of Bibles. Be sure to see the revised Billing and Shipping/Handling sections of the Order Form.

Patristic Nectar Publications has launched a new lecture series by Fr. Maximos (Constas), visiting professor at Hellenic College and Holy Cross, and Fr. Josiah Trenham of St. Andrew [Antiochian] Orthodox Christian Church in Riverside, CA. Titled ​"Saints, Sanctity and Saint Raphael of Brooklyn," the series consists of four lectures.

In the lectures, Fr. Maximos (Constas) and Fr. Josiah Trenham explore the subject of what constitutes a saint of the Church. In two lectures Fr. Maximos explores the nature of holiness, and then both Fr. Maximos and Fr. Josiah deliver lectures on the particular holiness of St. Raphael, Bishop of Brooklyn.

In addition to the keynote presentation and breakout sessions, the retreat will also offer activities including a fall color hike in Santa Fe National Forest, exploring historic downtown Santa Fe, evening activities and worship at Holy Trinity Antiochian Orthodox Church.

In part one of this book , Dr. Najib Saliba factually portrays the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict in an eloquent and easy way to understand for both novices wishing to learn about the intricacies of the dispute as well as people who already have a basic knowledge of the region and its politics.

In Part two, we turn to the impressions of our late archbishop, Metropolitan Philip Saliba, who shepherded our archdiocese from 1966 until his death in March of 2014. The metropolitan wanted to leave the readers with lasting impressions of his many visits with the various presidents of the United States during his 48 year tenure as the primate of the (Antiochian) archdiocese.

George Abodeely, 85, died July 30, 2015 (at the Grace House) in Windham NH, with three generations of family members at his side. He was the beloved husband of Constance A. “Connie” (Coury) Abodeely with whom he celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary on November 14, 2014. He was formerly of Andover, MA and was a well-respected educator in the Tewksbury School system.

Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, June 23, 1930, George was the fourth child of the late Michael and the late Nahie (Missad) Abodeely. He attended Lowell (MA) schools and was a graduate of Lowell High School in the Class of 1948. He went on to graduate from Lowell State Teacher’s College in 1952 with a degree in Education, and received his Master’s in Education from Fitchburg State University. Later, he received Certification from Boston University’s Guidance and Counseling Institute.

Prior to his retirement, George served as Assistant Principal at the Tewksbury Middle School, where he taught for over 24 years. Previously, he served as Guidance Counselor for the Tewksbury School system, and before that as a teacher at the Foster School in Tewksbury.

As we approached the final hours before the trip, we received our first surprise! Khouria Masha’s water broke less than 36 hours before we were schedule to fly to Alaska. The obvious decision was made that Fr. Michael would definitely not leave with us for Alaska on June 1. Little Maximus Joseph Habib arrived on May 31, 2015 (the eve of the trip).

A Youth Gathering will take place on Tuesday September 15, 2015, during the Assembly of Bishops Meeting in Chicago. Please pass the word – All young people are invited.

When: Tuesday evening, September 15, 2015Where: Holy Resurrection Serbian Orthodox Cathedral - 5701 North Redwood Drive - Chicago, IL 60631Who: High school and college students from the Greater Chicago area with the bishops of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox bishops of the United StatesWhat: A dialogue between our Orthodox youth and the bishops of the Assembly

As of now I believe there will be:

1. A service – led by the Assembly of Bishops2. Perhaps a discussion with the youth prior to the service to gather questions and prepare them for the event and help them to get to know each other3. A Question and Answer period with a panel of bishops and the high school and college students4. Food to follow

Although the date for the retirement of Economos Antony Gabriel and his last day of service at St. George Orthodox Church in Montreal, Quebec, was set for July 19, the celebration of the Paschal love began since the first minute of the announcement, even though it did not cease all the years of his ministry at our parish.

The announcement raised the congregation to a mystical celebration; private calls, events, lunches and dinners, but the most important was the celebration of Fr. Antony’s 75th Birthday. A private dinner was organized by the Parish Council headed by Ms. Diane Nemer and was held at 40 Westt in Pointe-Claire, Montreal. The attendees who were honored and blessed by the presence of His Grace Bishop Alexander and the Rev. Mark Wyatt of our sister parish St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church, felt the ambiance of the peace from above; a peace of spirit and mind, tenderness, and grace, mutual love and respect. Joyful laughter mixed with sadness and tears were in the hearts of the attendees and filled their conversations.